Don was born to parents Chester B. and Frankie Chadwell Ray on Sept. 26, 1937, in Norris, Tenn. He was a veteran with the Air National Guard, attended the former Fairview Baptist Church in the Solway community, was a member of Bright Hope Masonic Lodge No. 557, Knoxville, and he enjoyed woodworking as well as fishing, being a nature lover by heart.